Quintetto Ambrosiano

Founded in 1989 by guitarist Marco Taio and violinist Donatella Colombo, the Ambrosian Quintet was conceived with the purpose of investigating, preserving, and presenting the repertoire composed for this distinctive and historically significant instrumental combination.

The ensemble’s inaugural major project consisted of the complete recording of Luigi Boccherini’s works for this particular instrumentation. The undertaking commenced in 1990 with the release of the quintets G.450, G.451, and G.488 “Fandango,” performed by the following musicians:
**Violin I** – Donatella Colombo
**Violin II** – Carlos Garfias
**Viola** – Wincenty Kravczyk
**Cello** – Tomasz Wyroba

In the subsequent year, the ensemble brought the Boccherini cycle to completion with the recording of the remaining quintets: G.445, G.453 “La Ritirata di Madrid,” G.447, G.446, and G.449.
For this concluding phase of the project, the Ambrosian Quintet adopted a revised formation:
**First Violin** – Donatella Colombo
**Second Violin** – Giancarlo Guarino
**Viola** – Marcello Defant
**Cello** – Caterina Dell’Agnello

With this lineup, the Quintet undertook several concert tours, culminating in a distinguished series of performances organized in 1993 by the Teatro del Giglio in Lucca to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Luigi Boccherini’s birth. The commemorative events included concerts held in the Church of San Giovanni and at the Romolo Valli Theatre in Reggio Emilia.